Dinner at Haldhi

Went for dinner with the ICT team and Amalina at Haldhi, an authentic Indian cuisine restaurant along the banks of Singapore River. The boss got $200 from the school rewarding our department being the best department or something like that, and with Sam's $120 Haldhi vouchers from the sacrifice of being "Pamela", we decided to have a feast with $320 to spend.

We had outdoor seatings with the Singapore River just behind us. It was actually quite relaxing and enjoyable to be able to sit there and have a meal or just a drink. There were so much to see... the boats ferrying tourists around the Singapore River, the people walking through the streets and not forgetting the buildings on the other side of the river. We couldn't stop taking photos... especially Ray and Sam, as they had smuggled out the new Nikon D40. The both of them took turns romancing the camera.

As it is an Indian cuisine restaurant, I was quite worried about having to take spicy food. I'm not really a fan of spicy food. A little is ok, but too much, I'll start to feel numb around my nose and cheeks, then my nose starts to run and my eyes will tear.

After asking Dass and looking through the menu, I ordered the eggplant with Indian spices (requested for less spicy) and the prawn briyani. Dass mentioned that the bowl of white stuff, which came with the briyani, may be cold yoghurt, but none of us tried it so we didn't know if it is really yoghurt or not.

When I first tasted the eggplant, the spiciness was still bearable. However, it turned out that the briyani was the killer. After a few spoonfuls, my throat started to feel a little too hot, and my nose started to run. But it tasted good and after a few sips of my lime juice, I bravely continued on, maybe it was becoz of the big, juicy prawns and the exotic taste of something new. Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same for the eggplant. It tasted somewhat as a normal dish to me.

But it was all not meant to last. I began to feel a strong burning sensation at the back of my throat, and my nose started to run faster, and this time, my eyes started to tear, which means that I had reached my "limit". If my eyes didn't tear, I could still continue on. In the end, I exchanged my briyani with a piece of naan from Ray. And after a cup of Coke, the "flame" slowly died down.

Even Dass mentioned that his mutton was too spicy. I couldn't imagine myself tasting that. I believe if a FBI (full-blooded Indian, as Dass so loved to call himself) said something is very spicy, then it must be so damn bloody spicy hot!

Anyway, I also had a taste of Indian dessert. Ok, I forgot the name for it. But it's made of sweetened condensed milk, frozen together with bits of almonds and pistachios. So the end product is kind of like ice-cream, which tasted real sweet. I guess it is to kind of balance out the spiciness of the main dishes.

As expected with any outing, there were no lack of silly-looking photos.

Such "spontaneous" photos were never any hardship for Amalina and Sam. Me, I would do it most of the times but I haven't reach the "level" of Amalina and Sam yet.

Dass, he's one good boy. That slightly disturbing pose of his with the cherry was an idea from Sam. Good little Dass followed Sam's instructions and did everything perfectly. Heh.

Ray's shot was a candid one... just wanted to show him using his hand to eat. Wanted to applaud his effort for trying and he's practicing real hard whenever there is an opportunity. Another good boy.

Last but not least, the boss. Those who know him will know he would never take any silly-looking photo unless he's in the mood. (Hope he won't stumble into here anytime soon. Haha.) Oh yes, he likes to take photos. But only those which shows him looking cool and suave. He's real strict when it comes to looking good in photos.

Anyway, the total bill came up to $280+, which means we still had another $40 or so left for a simple meal. :)